Flying to and from Sun Valley during the fall season just got easier with the addition of extended flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles in September, twice weekly flights to Seattle, and daily flights to Denver and Salt Lake City.
For September, United is extending its nonstop Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) flights beyond Labor Day to run twice weekly, on Wednesday and Sunday, from Sept. 8–25. In addition, United Airlines now offers daily nonstop Denver (DEN) flight service all year, a significant enhancement for year-round connectivity from SUN to this major United hub. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines continues to offer convenient scheduled service for SUN travelers with three daily nonstop Salt Lake City (SLC) flights year-round, although the schedule will be reduced to two daily flights from Oct. 1 to Dec. 16 due to systemwide pilot shortages.
Alaska Airlines also provides nonstop Seattle (SEA) flights on a year-round basis, with twice weekly flights on Thursday and Sunday from Sept. 8 through mid-December. And on Oct. 6, Alaska plans to begin flying their Seattle route with E175 regional jets, replacing the older Q400 turboprop planes, making SUN an all-regional jet commercial air service airport for the first time in its history.
Fly Sun Valley Alliance Director Carol Waller noted that staffing shortages remain an ongoing challenge for airlines and SUN is fortunate to continue to maintain good air service levels overall as airlines have struggled to restore service to many communities.
In other SUN news, Alaska Airlines has announced they are the first U.S. airline to launch an electronic bag tag program. Later this year, more than 2,000 Alaska Airlines frequent fliers will begin using the electronic bag tags with an option for Mileage Plan members to purchase the devices early next year.
The airline estimates the program will reduce the time of traditional checked luggage by 40%. Instead of waiting to print bag tags, travelers will be able to activate the devices from any location 24 hours before their flight through the Alaska Airlines mobile app. By simply touching the phone to the bag tag, the activation is complete, displaying the guests’ flight information on the e-paper bag tag screen. To learn more about the program, visit Alaska Airlines news.